A SOCIAL INSECT— THE HONEYBEE 229 



The secretion of wax is the chief duty of the house bees from the 

 twelfth to the eighteenth day. Wax glands are located on the under- 

 side of the last four abdominal segments of the bees. After they have 

 eaten all the honey they can, they hang from the combs until a wax 

 scale is formed. They now remove this and use it to build part of 

 a cell. Each cell of a comb is composed of six sides, and the cells 

 are arranged in double layers back to back suspended from the roof 

 of the hive or, in modern hives, from the top of each frame. In order 

 to make certain that bees build the combs evenly in the right place, 

 all modern beekeepers place in each frame a thin layer of manufactured 

 foundation with just the base of the cells outlined. 



During her third week in the hive the house bee spends as much 

 time as necessary cleaning out the hive. She drags out dead bees, 

 dirt, or any other debris that may have accumulated in the hive. The 

 hives are kept as clean and spotless as possible. If a larger animal, 

 such as a mouse, is stung to death in the hive, and it is too large to be 

 moved out, it is covered over with a gummy secretion called propolis 

 which serves to embalm it. 



Almost any bee will act as a fanner when the hive becomes too 

 hot. Fanning is necessary to carry out the excess moisture in the 

 honey. The bees station themselves on one side of the entrance in 

 rows and fan their wings so vigorously that a current of air circulates 

 through the hive. This also prevents the hive from over-heating and 

 melting the wax. The current of air may be strong enough to blow 

 out a candle. 



The nectar, as the bees collect it, is thin and watery, often contain- 

 ing as much as 70 to 75 per cent water. When a field bee brings in a 

 load of nectar, she passes it to several house bees who manipulate it 

 in their mouth parts in such a way as to expose it in a thin film to the 

 warm dry air circulating in the hive. If still too watery, it is often 

 deposited in small droplets on the top wall of empty cells where more 

 water evaporates. It is now known as unripe honey, and it is eventually 

 deposited in the cells still in this condition. Evaporation continues 

 until the concentration of water is only from 18 to 20 per cent — it is now 

 honey. The house bees then seal it in the cell with a cap of wax. 



Groups of the oldest house bees stand guard near the main en- 

 trance and at any cracks or openings. These are the guards or police- 

 men of the hive, and they are ever ready to sting any intruder. They 

 readily fly to investigate any disturbance and may attack animals sev- 

 eral feet from the hive entrance. The remainder of the house bees 

 are very mild mannered and usually do not sting unless actually 

 squeezed or injured. One of the main tasks of the guards is to allow 



